NEW YORK — At a time when many Americans skip over ads, L.L. Bean has made its latest hard to resist - you can only read it if you're standing outside.

The insert, in Friday's New York Times, appears to be a nearly blank piece of green trimmed, white paper. The few legible words tell the reader what they need to do. "Just bring this outside . .. No, seriously. Take this outside.''

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When readers venture into the sunlight, they are presented with an ode to the outdoors, the environment that's best suited for L.L. Bean's signature boots, though the words read more like a mediation than a sales pitch.

Eric Rego stitches boots in the facility where LL Bean boots are assembled in Brunswick, Maine. L.L. Bean is kicking it up a notch as demand continues to surge for its iconic boot. The Maine-based outdoors retailer has leased a 110,000-square-foot building and plans to install a third injection-molding machine. The company is boosting production to meet demand that's expected to reach 1 million pairs in 2018.(Photo: 2011 photo by Pat Wellenbach, AP)

"Welcome to the outside,'' it begins, "where there are no strangers, only friends we haven't met yet.''

Ads have become a bit of an afterthought for some Americans, who can stream many of their favorite shows without ever seeing a commercial.

"We wanted to do something unique, creative and a call to action,'' says L.L. Bean spokeswoman Carolyn Beem. "It's an absolute celebration of the outdoors.''